Feature
PM Modi slams Cong for disrupting parliament
Noida (Uttar Pradesh): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today attacked the Congress for disrupting winter’s parliament session and stated that it is a bad luck of the country that the two houses are not allowed to function.
“Our government has been trying to take several steps for the welfare of the poor. There are some laws that are outdated for welfare of the poor and development of the country,” Modi said after laying the foundation stone of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway here.
“New laws are needed in many fields, but it is the misfortune of the country that parliament, where laws are formulated, is not allowed to function,” the prime minister said.
“Those who were rejected by the people are now not allowing parliament to function,” he said.
Modi appealed to the political parties to allow parliament to function, and noted the irony of making the request in a ‘Jan Sabha’ (public meeting) rather than the Lok Sabha.
“I am specially appealing to all political parties. We are not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha but I am urging them from a ‘Jan Sabha’… the people have sent us to parliament to debate, consult, discuss… to take collective decisions,” he said.
“It is our responsibility to give priority to the work people have given us.”
Modi slammed the Congress without naming it, saying the party that ruled the country for 50-60 years understood the functioning of parliament and the government and had no reason to be angry and disruptive.
“Those who have ruled the country for 50-60 years have a bigger responsibility. They know better than us how the government and parliament functions and how important it is,” the prime minister said.
“They were elected to run the country for 60 years… They have no right to stall and disrupt parliament”.
He hoped the New Year would be different.
“2015 is ending today, I urge them (opposition) to pledge that in 2016 they will not disrupt the proceedings of parliament and let the country march ahead,” he added.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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